


Celosias and Delphiniums

by DarkColdSummer



Series: Flower You Do-Wing? [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: ((and so close to the end too)), Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Swapfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Wings, Blood, Body Horror, Cherryberry - Freeform, Cliffhangers, Comic is an Asshole, Doctor Visits, Flashbacks, Flowers, Hanahaki Disease, Hanahaki Sucks, I give up, If You Squint - Freeform, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Is there a ship name for that?, Literally in the closet, Multi, POV First Person, POV Multiple, POV Sans (Swapfell), POV Sans (Undertale), POV Third Person, Possibly Unrequited Love, Promises, Razz (Swapfell) Swears, Razz and Comic friendship, Razz/Edge - Freeform, References to Undertale Genocide Route, Sans (Undertale) Being an Asshole, Sans (Undertale) Swears, Suicidal Thoughts, Swapfell Papyrus (Undertale), Swapfell Sans (Undertale), Temporarily Unrequited Love, Underfell Papyrus (Undertale), Underfell Sans (Undertale), Underswap Papyrus (Undertale), Underswap Sans (Undertale), Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love, Wingfic, Wings, Working Out My Feelings Through Fic, blegh, classiccherryberry, freaking out, fun fact: razz only started playing such a big role in this story due to a randomniser, idk what im doing, im gonna rewrite this someday maybe, im just playing around with random bs, implied cherryberry - Freeform, is this a cliffhanger?, it feels like a cliffhanger, limb detachment, platonic rottenjoke, randomniser help me write plots yay, razz/edge came about because of a randomniser too, specifically, spite, this also somehow evolved into platonic rottenjoke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2019-09-16 04:00:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16946607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkColdSummer/pseuds/DarkColdSummer
Summary: It's not natural.He swears it's not natural.He's done his due research.He's not supposed to cough two different types of flowers.(Tags will be updated as we go)(Keeping tags vague until it's explicitly in the story)(Chapter titles are song names)





	1. The Last of the Real Ones

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go.
> 
> (18/8/19: Fuck this is terrible. I'll rewrite it. ...Someday. ...Maybe.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Comic has a nightmare, and wakes up to flowers growing along his ribcage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last of the Real Ones - Fall Out Boy

It only took one attack.

 

More specifically, it took five bone constructs bursting out from below the kid, forming one attack.

 

It was extremely anti-climatic. Too anti-climatic, in fact. He had an entire speech planned, he had already said part of it, but the kid wasn’t prepared for him to steal the first move. He had raised his hand and snapped his fingers, causing a wave of bones to rise from the ground. There had been shock on their face, before they had gotten impaled and destroyed. Their SOUL cracked, and split into a million pieces. Good to know the element of surprise was effective.

 

_(The world stuttered.)_

 

He sighed, but turned around, meeting glowing red eyes.

 

.

 

“why not relax and take a load off?” He grinned as he dodged the attack. The kid had managed to survive that same first attack twice in a row now. It wasn’t coincidence. They were learning his pattern. He should mix it up a little more.

 

.

 

“let’s just get to the point.”

 

No more words or fancy theatrics were needed as the FIGHT scene came into view.

 

“here we go.”

 

Comic launched his normal attack, not really seeing the point of changing when eventually, the human was probably gonna learn all his patterns so why not keep up the mystery as much as possible.

 

.

 

“you can’t understand how this feels.”

 

The human laughed.

 

It was high, maniacal, and that pause for laughter was what it took for them to slip up this time. Three bones rammed straight into them, in succession.

 

They only laughed louder.

 

.

 

“just lay down your weapon, and… well, my job will be a lot easier.”

 

Comic feigned relaxation, letting his shoulders go limp, wings drooping to the floor. He looked down, stopped facing the human, tilting his skull towards the ground, but still keeping a watchful eye, just in case they attacked.

 

There was a clatter as the Burnt Pan fell to the ground. He looked up, the shock and relief in his eye sockets far from faked.

 

“... you're sparing me? finally. buddy. pal. i know how hard it must be... to make that choice. to go back on everything you've worked up to. i want you to know... i won't let it go to waste.”

He hesitated a bit, and spread his arms open for a hug. “… c'mere, pal.”

 

The human took a step forward, and two, and three, until they were right in front of him and-

 

A series of bones pierced through them.

 

The look on their face was one of pure betrayal.

 

“get dunked on,” he whispered, more to himself than anyone else.

 

He noticed the human still hadn’t died yet. “if we’re really friends… you won’t come back.”

There was an unreadable expression on their face as their SOUL cracked and shattered into pieces.

 

.

 

There was an apathy inside him, a numbness, as he stared at their dead body, their trademark blue and purple sweater soaked with blood. He turned away, and sat there, waiting for the LOAD that was sure to come.

 

It never did.

 

.

 

Comic didn’t know how long it took before he finally broke out of his stupor. The Last Corridor was bathed in silver light instead of golden, so it must’ve been enough time for the night cycle to take effect.

 

He sat there for a little while longer, phalanges clenched around the dusty scarf around his neck, eye sockets dark and empty. His jacket was splattered with bloodstains, as were his wings. Blood and feathers didn’t go well together. The human’s dead body was still lying there. He stood up, and inspected the body, just to make sure the kid was dead.

 

The bone constructs had long faded away, but the holes where they had ripped through their body were red and raw, and Sans swore he caught sight of some bone fragments because what else could the white have been? The human themselves was pale, their blood pooled beneath them, and, after so long of waiting, had dried.

 

Comic looked away, not really wanting to keep staring at a dead body. It felt impolite and wrong, like he was looking at something he wasn’t supposed to. He shuffled his feet, and snapped his fingers. Then, with a ripple of magic, he teleported away from the corridor and the dead body.

 

There was another ripple of magic, and he appeared in his workshop at the back of his and Papyrus’s house. He roughly shook his head, shaking thoughts of Papyrus out of his head.

 

Comic lit his eye lights, and switched on the lights. He stumbled towards the machine, and pulled off the purple cloth covering it. His small frame trembled at the memories the machine brought back, but he shoved them to a corner of his head, and continued working on the machine. He was nearing a breakthrough, he knew it…

 

And a sharp pain blossomed along his chest.

 

_._

 

Comic snapped up, eye lights wild and unfocused, in his bed, in his room. His wings were twitching and flapping limply at the sides, like they always did after a bad nightmare.

 

Maniac laughter echoed within his skull, and he swore he saw blood and dust everywhere. Nothing was safe no one was safe nothing would ever be safe-

 

He took a deep breath, then ran his phalanges through his feathers, glancing to double check there wasn’t any blood. Satisfied that his black and blue wings weren’t bloodstained, he moved on to his ribcage. His shirt wasn’t soaked through with blood, so that was one thing. He couldn’t feel the slash that caused his death in so many timelines, which was a pretty good sign, but there was something else there.

 

He sighed, but lifted his shirt. His eye sockets blacked out, and a strangled gasp escaped his non-existent throat.

 

Flowers and leaves climbed their way along his spine, a blend of red, blue and green. Bluebells (but not quite bluebells) that faced up and big spiky red towers of - Sans touched it, and looked at his phalanges in confusion - seeds?

 

Confusion.

 

Then pain. His eye sockets blanked out completely, not seeing anything for a couple seconds while he coughed something up and into his hand. It tickled his magical throat. His eye lights relit themselves, and darkened again.

 

He had hacked up a fistful of blue petals and red petal-seeds. And a red liquid - blood, his mind supplied - that definitely wasn’t supposed to be there.

 

Red liquid - blood, he reminded himself - trickled through his phalanges. Blue petals and red petal-seeds, both bloodstained, fell to the ground.

 

None of this was a good sign.

 

“Comic?” He heard Blossom call out for him, and instantly reacted, tossing the bloodstained flower petals into the trash tornado (huh, so it was useful) and wiping off any blood or petals with his arm.

 

“yeah ‘som?”

 

His voice was croaky. He would have liked to blame it on the sleep, but after coughing up _flower petals and blood_ , he wasn’t too sure anymore.

 

“Oh good!” Blossom exclaimed, a smile on his face. “You’re awake! Hurry up and get ready, the other us’s are coming over today - remember?”

 

Comic remembered alright. And for some reason, though none of their counterparts were particularly dislikable, and that he usually got along splendidly with them, there was a stirring in his SOUL that told him that he wasn’t going to enjoy the day very much.

 

He was just going to be proved right. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... Have no idea where this is going. Let's go with the flow, shall we?
> 
> Also, poor Coms.


	2. She's A Wildflower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sadly, Comic's not the only one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She's A Wildflower - Lauren Alaina

“coughing up… flowers…”

 

His voice was soft as he echoed the clicks his fingers produced, tapping on the keyboard.

 

He blinked at the results, and clicked on the first answer. His eye sockets scrunched up in confusion. “hanahaki? but i don’t have an unrequited crush on anybody? or at least i don’t think i do?”

 

“coughing up… two flowers…”

 

Not the result he was looking for.

 

“multiple hanahaki…”

 

Still not the result he was looking for.

 

So he might not have hanahaki? Or whoever he had a crush on just liked two flowers equally?

 

“COMIC! THE OTHERS ARE HERE!”

 

“ah crap,” Comic cursed to himself, slamming his laptop shut and hopping out of his seat. “coming bro!”

 

He double checked himself in the mirror. No flowers could be seen, which was good, especially since he didn’t want anyone to worry.

 

He stumbled over himself while rushing out of his room, his wings flapping wildly, trying to stabilise him and failing, but someone caught him quick enough.

 

“Brother!” Blossom chided. “Be more careful!”

“sure,” he shrugged in return, and re-stabilised himself, using his wings for help.

 

“hey comic,” Stretch nodded as he stumbled down the stairs.

 

With a slight wince as he missed the last step, Comic nodded back, and looked around. “where’s razz?”

 

Red took his chance to answer. “he didn’t come.”

 

Comic frowned, but grabbed a bottle of ketchup from the kitchen and settled on the couch. “why not?”

 

Slim shrugged. “he started choking up flowers.”

 

His eye sockets darkened. “what?”

 

“yeah,” Slim elaborated quietly, downing a bottle of barbecue sauce. “rose petals. black tipped red rose petals, covered in blood. the roses were growing all along his ribcage and spine. he’s at the doc’s now. dunno how it’s gonna go.”

 

“sounds creepy,” Red snorted.

 

“’s got hanahaki?” Comic murmured aloud, more to himself than anyone else.

 

“what’s hanahaki?” Stretch asked, eye sockets narrowed.

 

“go search it,” he frowned. “don’t you have your phone on you?”

 

“too lazy to.”

 

Comic rolled his eyes. Sometimes his counterparts were just a little too like him. He started to answer, only to be cut off by a flurry of red and white feathers.

 

“BROTHER!”

 

“heh,” Comic grinned. “yeah ‘som?”

 

“You dropped these on your way down!”

 

“huh, thanks,” Comic accepted whatever it was with an easygoing grin, until he saw what it was. A couple of those red flower-seeds and a stalk of the blue ones. Fortunately, they weren’t bloodstained. He kept an eye on the flower petals, watching them like they were going to explode in his hand, and took another long gulp of ketchup.

 

“They’re pretty!” Blue gasped, from where he had followed Blossom over.

 

Comic strained a smile. “yeah blue, they are.”

 

And deadly too, his mind reminded him. You’re literally dying because of these flowers. He pushed that part of his thoughts away and focused on the conversation going on in front of him. Blossom’s mouth was moving, probably talking about the flowers, but he couldn’t hear anything through the sudden fog. A voice broke through it, not loud and boisterous, but rather quite soothing, and he focused on it.

 

“what kind are they?” Red asked, curious. “i recognise the red ones, they’re celosias, my favourites, but what about the other?”

 

“They’re delphiniums, silly!” Blue chided. “ **My** favourite kind of flowers!”

 

_There is no specific flower for the disease, but it’ll either be the crush’s favourite type of flower, or their favourite colour._

 

Comic blinked, breaking out of the fog, and cursed to himself. Red and Blue’s favourite flowers were celosias and delphiniums respectively. Whichever one the flowers belonged to, he had a crush on them.

 

Since when did he gain a crush on either of them?

 

.

 

Razz was having a pretty shit day. First he woke up coughing fucking roses, then said roses were growing - with thorns -along his ribcage and spine then he had to miss the meeting with his alternates, then he had to go to see a fucking doctor and now he had hanahaki?

He glared at the doctor.

 

“hey-“

 

And formed a blue attack and threw it at the newcomer.

 

“woah there.”

 

“What the fuck, Comic?” Razz growled. “Are you kidding me?”

 

“nah, just thought i might come, especially since i’m in the same boat as you.”

 

“What the fuck do you-“ Comic lifted his shirt, causing Razz to trail off. “-mean…”

 

“your roses are pretty,” Comic commented.

 

Razz glared, and wrapped his arms around his naked body. “Shut up you asshole.”

 

“a lot like edge’s wings, huh? mainly red with tips of black.”

 

“Shut up you dick. How about yours?”

 

“uh… that’s why i came. hey doc, what does it mean when you’ve got two different types of flowers?”

 

“Can I take a closer look?” The doctor asked.

 

“yeah sure,” Comic shrugged, taking off his jacket and shirt.

 

The doctor took a while to inspect the flowers.

 

“Two people.”

 

“what?”

 

“You’re having hanahaki for two separate people at the same time.”

 

“fuck,” Comic buried his skull in his palms. “fuck.”

 

“Why?” Razz asked.

 

“it’s for blue and red. both of them. and i kinda didn’t even know i had a crush on them? so this is incredibly messed up and-” Comic stopped, and turned to Razz. “you can’t tell anyone about this.”

 

“But- What? Why? This is hanahaki, Comic. You could die!”

 

“that’s the point.”

 

“What?”

 

“…”

 

“Comic…”

 

Said skeleton sent a glare at Razz.

 

Razz sighed. “We’re talking about this later.”

 

The doctor awkwardly looked at the duo. “Should I leave…?”

 

.

 

“What the fuck Comic?”

 

“wonder what you’re referring to?”

 

“The point that hanahaki could cause you to DIE, you dickhead! And then you said that that’s the point! Comic you ass! Is this your new plan to off yourself?”

 

Razz got no reply.

 

“…Comic?”

 

“…yeah razz?”

 

“…Do you want to… go to your place and hide in a closet?”

 

The look on Comic’s face was incredulous. “what? where did that come from?”

 

Razz shrugged. “I’m bored. Also, it seems fun.”

 

Comic gave Razz a good look, then clamped a hand on the other’s shoulder. “sure.”

 

They landed in the closet with a crash.

 

“COMIC WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tired.  
> I'm so  
> so  
> tired.


	3. Gravity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Razz and Comic talk some.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gravity - Against the Current  
> Trigger Warnings: Alcohol, Limb detachment (??), Suicidal thoughts, Implied/Referenced Suicide Attempt

“COMIC WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!”

 

Razz’s largely irritated voice echoed throughout the house.

 

“…Anyone want to look for them?” Edge asked.

 

“not particularly, no,” Red shrugged from where he was draped over Blue’s lap. “‘m comfortable where i am.”

 

Stretch stood up. “i’m checking on them.”

 

.

 

“COMIC WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!”

 

“you’re the one who said you wanted to hide in a closet!” Comic protested, attempting to back away, but knocked into something, resulting in said something falling on his skull. “ow.”

 

“Serves you right,” Razz scoffed.

 

“here, have a drink.”

 

“One, where did you get that from?” Comic got ready to answer, only to be cut off by Razz. “Actually, don’t answer that. Two, seriously? While in a closet? Three… …hand it over.”

 

Razz finally grasped on to the proffered bottle, and took a long gulp. And another.

 

“hnnn… give it back…” Comic pouted after a while of silence, reaching out and grabbing what he hoped was the bottle. There was some resistance as he pulled it away amidst Razz’s shrieks. He clutched it closer, satisfied. …It didn’t quite feel like a bottle though?

 

“Then give me back MY HAND!”

 

Whoops.

 

The door opened.

 

.

 

Stretch raised an imaginary eyebrow at the scene in front of him. Razz let out an unholy shriek at the sudden flood of light and Stretch’s figure.

 

“GET OUT AND CLOSE THE DOOR!” He screeched, throwing out his handless arm in an attempt to bring out bone attacks at the version of Papyrus.

 

Nothing happened.

 

Stretch snickered. Comic did too, and took advantage of the influx of light to toss Razz his hand and grab the bottle, taking a few long gulps from it.

 

“what are you guys doing _in the closet_?” Stretch asked, withholding a smirk.

 

Comic choked on his drink.

 

“Well-“ Razz started, but his eye lights guttered out in a sudden realisation and implication. “WHAT?!”

 

.

 

“My brother is probably antagonising Razz and Comic right now…” Blue muttered.

 

Red snickered. “let him.”

 

“That’s just cruel, Red! Let me up!”

 

“no.”

 

Slim stood up. “well then, i’ll check on them.”

 

“Thank you Slim!” Blue grinned.

 

.

 

Slim walked up the staircase, keeping an imaginary ear out for the shrieks that had to be coming from Razz.

 

He was right, he noted with a smile as he watched Razz claw in Stretch’s direction, Comic holding the former back from his place… in the closet? He snickered at that.

 

“GO AWAY!” Razz snarled, glaring at Stretch, then noticed Slim. “BOTH OF YOU!”

 

“nah,” Slim shrugged, and picked up his brother. “let’s go for a flight, work off the stress and stuff, and maybe you can tell me about how your appointment went.”

 

Strangely enough, Comic disappeared seconds after he said that, leaving Razz glaring at empty space before making a noise of agreement.

 

.

 

Razz spread his red and blue wings out forcefully, and leapt into the sky, Slim following suit more gracefully with his orange and black ones.

 

“so, feel like talking anytime soon?” Slim asked after a while.

 

“Yeah, no.”

 

“alright.”

 

.

 

Comic sighed, slumping against a corner, wings wrapped over himself.

 

The cold of his Snowdin bit against his bones - no matter how much he joked about the cold going right through him, he could feel the cold. His bones rattled in protest. He didn’t react much, simply tucking his wings tighter around him.

 

.

 

Razz glanced side to side, carefully making sure there was no trace of Slim. He’d given a simplified rundown about hanahaki, how it would affect him and how he decided to deal with it, and Slim had left.

 

Earlier, he had noticed Comic’s disappearance, and his ‘Tale counterpart had probably teleported somewhere, and damn if he let it stand after what disturbing things he hinted at before.

 

“If I were Comic, where would I go?” He muttered aloud to himself, then snapped his phalanges in realisation. “Snowdin.” Then he frowned. “The Undertale Snowdin.”

 

Teleportation was always a finicky business. You’d need a decent idea of the place to teleport there, and hell if Razz knew what the Undertale Snowdin was like. So he’d have to enter via the Barrier…

 

.

 

“hey edge, can we talk?”

 

.

 

A shriek echoed through Snowdin Forest. Comic chuckled to himself at the familiar voice.

 

“over here, razz,” he called out.

 

A very disgruntled Razz stomped his way through the snow towards the sound of Comic’s voice.

 

“Your Snowdin sucks,” he told the other blandly.

 

Comic sent him a wry grin. “i’d hate to see what yours is like, ‘specially since you call yours a shithole.”

 

Razz glared, then his look softened. “Do you… want to talk about it?””

 

“…” Comic looked away and focused his eye lights on the remnants of his ‘snowman’ next to that of Blossom’s. “i’d rather not.”

 

“Bottling stuff up isn’t healthy.”

 

The two left it at that for a while, scuffing noises of their footwear against the snow the only noises they could hear.

 

“i dont know how to start.”

 

Razz stayed silent, and allowed his friend to collect his thoughts.

 

“…when i- … tell ‘som i’m sorry. and not to worry. maybe- maybe that i- i- went on a vacation.” There was a shaky smile on Comic’s face as he said that. “it- it would be believable.”

 

It took Razz half a minute to figure out what his friend meant. “Comic?”

 

“hm?”

 

“I’m… I’m sorry I never noticed. I should have seen it. I should have.”

 

“razz…”

 

“I’m so, so stupid,” he whispered, clenching his fists. “How could I have been so blind?”

 

“razz-“

 

“You’re literally me! I- I… I didn’t expect it. I- I don’t want to expect it. I- I’ve- I’ve never been on this end of things, Comic-“

 

“this end?”

 

Razz sighed and looked away. “Yeah. It was- uh- some time ago. Somewhere during one of the series of resets- I was a mess during that time.” He choked out some weak laughter and smiled a watery smile at Comic. “Comic… please- please don’t leave.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look! This took a month. I was. In a bad spot. Hence all the. Trigger-y stuff. Sorry.


	4. Not Another Song About Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Razz gives a gift that doesn't seem to have any plot purposes, Comic messes up and Razz is terrified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not Another Song About Love - Hollywood Ending

“i refuse.”

 

“…What?” Razz’s confounded expression nearly made Comic burst into laughter, but the tension in the air stopped him before he did.

 

“Brother! It’s impolite to refuse a gift! Especially one that has so much effort and meaning put into it! Which I’m sure it has! Even though I don’t understand it!”

 

Comic sighed but took the gift with both hands, and looked doubtfully at it. “you sure ‘bout this razz? i know how much this means to you…”

 

“I don’t need it anymore,” Razz said firmly. “You, on the other hand…”

 

Comic could hear the unspoken words behind Razz’s silence. He turned the red bandana over in his hands and sighed lowly. “if you’re sure about it…”

 

His phalanges trembled as he wrapped the bandana around his neck, fumbling while tying the knot while in the uncomfortable position. Blossom offered a hand to help his brother, only to be pushed away gently by said brother’s good wing.

 

Comic stifled a frown, tugging at the cloth uncomfortably. He could feel the waves of protective intent washing over him from the bandana, and while he was sure the bandana didn’t quite mean the same as collars in the fell-verse cultures, it felt pretty damn close.

 

Razz somehow noticed the stiffening of his body. “Relax, Comic,” he said, his voice a low and soothing rumble.

 

Somehow, much to the surprise of both Sanses, it worked. Comic’s shoulders let go of the tension and relaxed into an easygoing _real_ slouch. His normally forced grin relaxed into something that somewhat resembled a real one.

 

“jeez,” Comic noted, kind of surprised. “how much intent did you pack into this bandana?”

 

“A lot,” Razz admitted. “I was worried it would wear off eventually.”

 

Blossom blinked. “I am going! To go now! You two! Can! Continue bonding!” And he disappeared. If the two hadn’t known better, they’d have said that Blossom had teleported. But from experience, Comic knew that it was just the immense speed his brother possessed.

 

“so, did you know that giving away prized possessions is a sign of suicidal intent?” Comic mentioned offhandedly after a few moments, phalanges playing with the fabric.

 

Razz flinched. “Something like that,” he admitted.

 

Comic sighed, then snapped his phalanges, teleporting two chairs to where they were. He plopped himself down on one of them. Razz sat himself gently on the other. “feel like talking?”

 

Razz grinned, ever-so-slightly, and leaned backwards onto the backing of the chair. “It’s not exactly suicidal intent. It’s…” He hesitated. “The surgery.”

 

“oh.” Comic sighed, rubbing his forehead. “you’re scared that the surgery will go wrong. that you may not come out alive or end up coming out without the ability to feel emotions rather than the greatest likelihood of losing only romantic love.”

 

“Yes,” Razz nodded, furrowing his nonexistent eyebrows. “In that sense, I get why you don’t want to do the surgery. But I don’t think some lost feelings are worse than death.”

 

“about that…” Comic smiled sheepishly. “can i… tell you something?”

 

“What?”

 

“i haven’t told them yet.”

 

Razz snapped his skull around. “Are you KIDDING me?”

 

Comic shrugged, a light blue blush across his cheeks. “you heard me.”

 

“Comic…”

 

“have you seen them razz? they’re happy together. who am i to come between that?”

 

“Comic we had this conversation before. This is your life on the line here!”

 

“razz… my illness knows better than me. they don’t return my feelings-“

 

“That’s because there don’t know there are any feelings to return! Comic,” Razz poked the other’s ribs. “If you don’t tell them within the week, I’m going to take matters into my own hands. Unless you’re not up to the challenge.”

 

Comic looked skeptically at his friend. “i’m not an undyne. the challenge thing doesn’t work on me.”

 

Razz hesitated, looking as if he’d forgotten who he was talking to. “Right.”

 

“but. uh. fine. stars knows i don’t want to worry ‘som anymore than i already do.”

 

Razz fixed him with a hard look. “Promise?”

 

“c’mon razz, you know how we feel about promises.”

 

“Promise it Comic.”

 

“fine. i…” Comic looked away. “i promise.”

 

“Good. And you better keep it.”

 

.

 

The surgery went perfectly fine. Razz came out perfectly fine. Comic was happy for him, really. He tried to return the bandana to the other, only to get a firm glare in return.

 

There was only one issue.

 

“Comic. Your time is running out. There’s two days left - and you _promised_.”

 

Comic sighed, suddenly avoiding all possible eye contact with his alternate, playing with one of the red celosias that had grown out of his eye socket. He twisted it, and plucked it out, only to be shocked by a sudden burst of pain stemming from his soul, and spreading out throughout the rest of his bones. He clutched his eye socket, wincing in pain, tears collecting in his other socket. The pain was… indescribable.

 

Razz gently pried his alternate’s phalanges away from the skull. “Don’t do that…”

 

There was a sudden urge to spite his alternate and pluck the rest of the flowers out. Comic did just that, snatching his hand back and plucking out a whole fistful of flowers. He winced at the pain, but otherwise welcomed it.

 

“Comic!” Razz all but screeched, hands extended.

 

He took a step back. There were vines growing along his neck, and since he was at it, why not tear that bunch out as well? It wouldn’t do if he was found out.

 

“Comic,” Razz teleported forward and grasped his hands tightly. Comic could feel Razz shaking. “Stop.”

 

He wrenched his hands away, and ripped out the vines, suppressing a yelp of pain that threatened to escape. And then he couldn’t move.

 

Razz’s lone eye light flared a bright crimson red, not unlike Red’s. He realised dully that his soul had been summoned and, judging by how he couldn’t move, turned green. Whoops. Did he go too far this time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huh look! Is this a chapter? 2 months after the previous one? Oh no!
> 
> (I'm sorry)
> 
> This is me directing you to my tumblr because I think I doodle more than anything else.  
> https://darkcoldsummer.tumblr.com/


	5. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Comic searches for the others (and fails).
> 
> Razz has a talk with Red and Blue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Secrets - OneRepublic

“Calm down, Comic,” Razz said firmly, phalanges clenched in a fist to hold his counterpart in place with blue. “You’re not thinking straight.”

 

There was no response. Comic’s eye sockets were blacked out, like he was spaced out. …Honestly? Razz wouldn’t have been surprised if his friend had actually spaced out. He rolled his eye light mentally, then sent a wave of comforting intent towards the other, using the bandana to channel and amplify it.

 

Comic relaxed against his will, crumpling into a puddle (not literally - if it were, Razz would’ve had a heart attack, and skeletons didn’t have hearts!), and Razz stepped forward to catch his counterpart gently.

 

The other had apparently, relaxed so much, that he fell asleep. Razz rolled his eye lights in fond amusement, then teleported the both of them to Comic’s bedroom, so he could settle the other to rest. The conversation, apparently, would have to wait for later.

 

.

 

Comic woke up with a pounding skull-ache and a blurry memory.

 

Razz was nowhere to be seen.

 

.

 

He had one day left - today was his last day to keep his promise. Of course, he had other options, like going against his word and just… abandoning the integrity he’d tried so hard to build up over the years. Which was so ridiculous, so out of character of him (don’t think about broken promises and blood in the judgment hall, killing a kid over and over and over again and- “sorry, old lady. this is why i never make promises.”), it might as well not even have been an option.

 

The flowers hadn’t disappeared, like he had hoped they would’ve when he made the promise. In fact, they had gotten worse.

 

The stalks of vegetation hadn’t stopped at his ribcage, continuing to twine their way up. They surrounded his cervical vertebrae (neck) like a scarf. A scarf that was slowly choking him. It was going to be the death of him. (And deep down inside, he hoped it did.)

 

He wore his hood up constantly now, Razz’s bandana under his jacket, serving as an extra layer to hide the flowers using. It was most probably at least slightly suspicious to the other skeletons, but he didn’t really have a choice, did he?

 

Faded white eye lights stared at him. He looked back at himself in the mirror, then pulled his hood back up.

 

(There’s always a choice, a little voice at the back of his skull nagged. He pointedly ignored it.)

 

.

 

He gave up.

 

Half a day of searching, and Red and Blue were nowhere to be seen. And well, giving up was what he did best, after all.

 

Besides, it didn’t matter.

 

His SPD and MGR were both down to two digits. It wouldn’t be much longer until they both hit one and-

 

He wouldn’t have to burden anyone else anymore.

 

.

 

_Hanahaki._

 

_(Shut up, I know what I’m talking about.)_

 

_(Yes, mine’s been cured.)_

 

_(Yes, this has a reason.)_

 

_(Fucking shut up!)_

 

_(I can’t continue if you keep asking me questions!)_

 

_An illness born from unrequited love._

 

_In which the afflicted begins coughing up flowers._

 

 _(Yes, yes, Red.)_  
  
(Flower petals included.)

 

_Specifically, the favourite flower(s) of the target of their unrequited crush._

 

_(It’s not morbid.)_

 

_(It just… sounds morbid.)_

 

_The simplest cure?_

 

_Having the other return the afflicted’s romantic affections._

 

_It is a slow thing._

 

_A deadly thing._

 

_To humans, it is simple._

 

_The flowers clog up the lungs, with an obvious origin._

 

_The heart._

 

_(I don’t know how it works!)_

 

_(I’m not a human!)_

 

_(Or a human doctor!)_

 

_(Stop asking me, Blue!)_

 

_(I just found all of these on the internet!!)_

 

_Dangerous, but simple to work around._

 

_A surgery to remove the vines._

 

_To remove the leaves._

 

_To remove the flowers._

 

_All from the lungs._

 

_For monsters, it is incredibly difficult._

 

_A death sentence, even._

 

_(I’ll explain it later, stop interrupting me!)_

 

_The plant stems from the soul._

 

_To grow, it steals magic from the soul._

 

_Like a parasite._

 

_Drained of their magic, the afflicted monster’s base stats slowly drop to one._

 

_HoPe? 1._

 

_ATtacK? 1._

 

_DEFence? 1._

 

_SPeeD? 1._

 

_MaGic Reserves? 1._

 

_Even if they recover from the hanahaki, their stats will remain permanently lowered._

 

_(I don’t want to talk about it.)_

 

_(…I said!)_

 

_(I don’t want to talk about it!!)_

 

_(…Just listen, alright?)_

 

_And once all stats reach 1, it is essentially a death sentence._

 

_The monster would die within a day._

 

_Surgery._

 

_The obvious solution, right?_

 

_For most monsters, the surgery would be deadly._

 

_Only for those with an open section to their soul would the surgery have a chance of working._

 

_Like skeletal monsters._

 

_(That’s why I could go for the surgery.)_

 

_Sans from the Undertale universe._

 

_Comic, as he’s called now._

 

 _(Shut up.)_  
  
(Let me continue.)

 

_His HoPe has been 1 for a while._

 

_His ATtack? 1._

 

_His DEFence? 1._

 

_That, a lot of people know._

 

_(You know that too, don’t you?)_

 

_(That’s why you’re here.)_

 

_(You’re worried.)_

 

_(But that’s besides the point.)_

 

_His SPeeD?_

 

_(Think about it.)_

 

_(You’ll find that it’s much higher than 1.)_

 

_It was, in fact, much higher than 1._

 

_(193 isn’t a small number, isn’t it?)_

 

_(He’s fast.)_

 

_(I know that.)_

 

_(You know that.)_

 

_And his MaGic Reserves are incredibly deep._

 

_(You should know that.)_

 

_(You’re Sanses too, after all.)_

 

_(That’s something we all share in common.)_

 

_(But his is the deepest out of all of us.)_

 

_His MGR was 379._

 

_(Impressive, right?)_

 

_(I know what I said, Red.)_

 

_Yeah, you heard that right._

 

_Was._

 

_His SPD was 197._

 

_It is 45 now._

 

_His MGR was 379._

 

_It is 134 now._

 

_All his other stats are 1._

 

_You know that nothing short of deadly physical illnesses can affect MGR._

 

_Heck, even the worst mental illnesses won’t bring SPD down so much in such a short time!_

 

_I’ll leave you with this._

 

_You’re forming your own thoughts about this situation._

 

_I’ll leave it to you two to handle it._

 

_Good luck, Red, Blue._

 

_He’s stubborn._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a longer time than usual because I was having issues with how to cut off the chapter. It took way more editing than usual.
> 
> The italics part is Razz's POV. He's talking to Red and Blue. The bracketed parts can be read as add-ons to the main narrative.

**Author's Note:**

> Upcoming:  
> Title: Chapter 6 ()  
> (Temporary) Summary: Red and Blue stalk Comic down. Comic spills.  
> Notes (beginning):


End file.
